We are diving right back into our special series of conversations with teachers, organizers, scholars, and activists in Wisconsin that TRNN Editor-in-Chief Maximillian Alvarez, Cameron Granadino (TRNN), and Hannah Faris (In These Times) recorded in the summer of 2021 as part of a special collaboration between The Real News Network and In These Times magazine for “The Wisconsin Idea.” In this episode of Working People, recorded at the Racine Labor Center in Racine, Wisconsin, Alvarez talks to retired teacher and longtime organizer Al Levie about the long and coordinated assault on workers and unions that turned Wisconsin into a “right to work” state and that stripped public sector workers of their collective bargaining rights with the passage of Act 10 under Republic governor Scott Walker. But they also talk about Levie’s life as an organizer, the work he and his students have done to build power in Racine, and about the very real possibility of organizing and mobilizing interracial and intergenerational coalitions of people to fight for justice, equality, and dignity.
Additional links/info below…
- Maximillian Alvarez, The Real News Network, “Organize Students, Organize Everyone, and Fight Like Hell“
- Yahoo! News, “Wis. Teacher Refuses Award From Paul Ryan During MLK Ceremony: ‘Lackey for the 1%’“
- Voces de la Frontera website
- Voces de la Frontera Action website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
- Working People, **John Fleissner (bonus episode)**
- John Fleissner’s Instagram
- Order Defend Public Education Print from John Fleissner
- In These Times investigative series: The Wisconsin Idea
Permanent links below…
- Leave us a voicemail and we might play it on the show!
- Labor Radio / Podcast Network website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
- In These Times website, Facebook page, and Twitter page
- The Real News Network website, YouTube channel, podcast feeds, Facebook page, and Twitter page
Featured Music (all songs sourced from the Free Music Archive: freemusicarchive.org)
- Jules Taylor, “Working People Theme Song”
Pre-Production: Maximillian Alvarez, Hannah Faris, Alice Herman, Cameron Granadino, Eleni Schirmer (research consultant), John Fleissner (research consultant), John Yaggi (research consultant), Harvey J. Kaye (research consultant), Jon Shelton (research consultant), Adam Mertz (research consultant)
Studio: Cameron Granadino
Post-Production: Cameron Granadino, Stephen Frank, Kayla Rivara, Jules Taylor
The Wisconsin Idea is an independent reporting project of People’s Action Institute, Citizen Action of Wisconsin and In These Times.
TRANSCRIPT
The transcript of this podcast will be made available as soon as possible.
This post was originally published on The Real News Network.